Electronic stereoscopic media delivery system

ABSTRACT

The preferred embodiment addresses the problem of delivering stereoscopic media in electronic form (images, videos, animations, object models, etc.). First, it provides a single format with independent right and left channels to represent the stereoscopic media. Second, it provides a means of displaying stereoscopic media inside a movable windowed area while eliminating pseudostereo conditions during movement. Third, it provides automatic and manual optimization adjustments (parallax shift adjustment, brightness control, color adjustment, and cross-talk reduction) to the stereoscopic media based on viewing hardware, monitor size, and media content for optimal viewing quality. Fourth, it provides seamless support for monoscopic (2D) viewing modes allowing delivery of said stereoscopic media in a normal 2D viewing mode.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is directed to providing a means of deliveringstereoscopic media on and off the Internet. In particular the inventionprovides a means of encoding stereoscopic media, transmitting andstoring stereoscopic media, displaying stereoscopic media, and providinghelpful tools for viewing the media.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stereoscopic images have been in use for hundreds of years. Recentlystereoscopic images, and other forms of stereoscopic media likeanimations and video, have been Converted to electronic form for displayon personal computers, the Internet, and on other electronic media likeCD-ROMs. Stereoscopic media has been successfully used in numerousapplications ranging from medical imaging, to entertainment, totraining, to electronic commerce.

Stereoscopic media and viewing systems can take on numerous formats. Forexample, there are several ways to encode a still stereoscopic 3D imageincluding red/blue anaglyphic format, side-by-side, interleaved orline-alternate formats, etc. There are also numerous viewing systemsavailable to viewing stereoscopic media: red/blue glasses, activeshutter glasses, high-speed page-flipping graphics cards with shutterglasses, line-blanking viewing systems, cross-eye lens systems, etc.Many of these media and viewing formats are not compatible with eachother. The fact that the stereoscopic media for these various systems isnot compatible makes it difficult for a content developer, such as aCD-ROM developer, or Website developer, to support all of thestereoscopic viewing devices on the market.

Several patents contain background information for this disclosure. Theyinclude: U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,649 dated Feb. 22, 2000 and entitled “ImageDisplay Systems having Direct and Projection Viewing Modes”; U.S. Pat.No. 6,016,159 dated Jan. 18, 2000 and entitled “Method and Apparatus forProducing and Displaying Spectrally-multiplexed Images ofThree-dimensional Imagery for Use in Stereoscopic Viewing Thereof”; U.S.Pat. No. 6,002,518 dated Dec. 14, 1999 and entitled “Phase-retardationBased System for Stereoscopic Viewing MicropolarizedSpatially-multiplexed Images Substantially Free of Visual-channelCross-talk and Asymmetric Image Distortion”; U.S. Pat. 5,844,717 datedDec. 1, 1998 and entitled “Method and System for ProducingMicropolarization panels for Use in Micropolarizing SpatiallyMultiplexed Images of 3-D Objects During Stereoscopic DisplayProcesses”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,427 dated Oct. 27, 1998 and entitled“Computer-based Image Display Systems Having Direct and Projection Modesof Viewing”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,827 dated Jun. 2, 1998 and entitled“Pixel-data Processing System and Method for ProducingSpectrally-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Imagery for Use inStereoscopic Viewing Thereof”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,164 dated Apr. 28,1998 entitled System and Method for Electro-optically Producing andDisplaying Spectrally-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Imageryfor Use in Stereoscopic Viewing Thereof”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,7423,33 datedApr. 21, 1998 and entitled “Electro-optical Device for SelectivelyTransmitting Polarized Spectral Components”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,233dated Oct. 21, 1997 and entitled Image Display Systems Having Direct andProjection Viewing Modes”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,203 dated Sep. 3, 1996and entitled “Pixel Data Processing System and Method for Producing andGraphically Presenting Spatially Multiplexed Images of 3-D Objects forStereoscopic Viewing Thereof”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,564 dated Feb. 29,2000 and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Monoscopic to StereoscopicImage Conversion”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,581 dated Jan. 4, 2000 andentitled “Intelligent Method and System for Producing and DisplayingStereoscopically-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Objects for Usein Realistic Stereoscopic Viewing Thereof In Interactive Virtual RealityDisplay Environments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,144 dated Jul. 16, 1996and entitled “Electro-optical Display System for Visually DisplayingPolarized Spatially Multiplexed Images of 3-D Objects for Use inStereoscopically Viewing The Same With High Image Quality andResolution.

In order to facilitate the growth of stereoscopic 3D media in electronicform, an easy to use, multi-format delivery system is needed. Thisinvention presents new stereoscopic media delivery system that includesmeans for encoding stereoscopic media, transmitting and storingstereoscopic media, displaying stereoscopic media, and providing helpfultools for viewing the media.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment addresses the problem of deliveringstereoscopic media in electronic form (images, videos, animations,object models, etc.). Firstly, it provides a single format withindependent right and left channels (with an option for mixed orcombined right and left channels) to represent the stereoscopic media.Secondly, it provides a means of displaying stereoscopic media inside amovable windowed area while eliminating pseudostereo conditions duringmovement. Thirdly, it provides automatic and manual optimizationadjustments such as parallax shift adjustment, brightness control, coloradjustment, and cross-talk reduction to the stereoscopic media based onviewing hardware, monitor size, and media content for optimal viewingquality. Fourthly, it provides seamless support for monoscopic (2D)viewing modes allowing delivery of said stereoscopic media in a normal2D viewing mode.

These and other features of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description of the drawings, detailed description, andappended claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the various display formats embodied in theinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the contents of a window displayed in stereo;

FIG. 3 illustrates the contents of a window displayed in reverse stereo;

FIG. 4 illustrates the contents of a scrolling window displayed instereo;

FIG. 5 illustrates a general software flowchart;

FIG. 6 illustrates the scaling of stereoscopic 3D media while preservingthe left and right media;

FIG. 7 illustrates the scaling of stereoscopic 3D media withoutpreserving the left and right media;

FIG. 8 illustrates the automatic brightness adjustment of a stereoscopic3D media file;

FIG. 9 illustrates the setting of script commands to a preselecteddisplay mode;

FIG. 10 illustrates the contents of a VRR file;

FIG. 11 illustrates a parallel viewing mode;

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-eye viewing mode;

FIG. 13 illustrates the ability to download larger sized 3D stereoscopiccontent files as a background task or during idle use times of theworkstation;

FIG. 14 illustrates the side by side format;

FIG. 15 illustrates one method of displaying helper alignment images fora cross eye viewing mode;

FIG. 16 illustrates one way to store a series of N images into a singleresource file;

FIG. 17 illustrates the relationship between the images and the objectin question;

FIG. 18 illustrates an embodiment that allows a larger 3D stereoscopicimage or panorama to be scrolled within a smaller viewing window;

FIG. 19 illustrates an original right and left camera view of an object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention include display methods, encodingmethods and tools. With regard to display methods this includes a singlemedia file format that is converted to various display formats on theuser side; stereoscopic media in a window such as a browser orapplication; stereoscopic preservation in a window during scrolling andwindow movement; support of auto-detection 3D stereo hardware systems;script buttons (VRR scripts) to change global stereo formats; stereomedia file formats that contain sub media such as VRR and blocks;parallax shift adjustments based on physical size of display window;automatic brightness adjustments; color calibration/adjustments forphysical 3D viewing mechanisms; including variations in display devices;crosstalk reduction techniques on user side; smart stereo scaling;integration of stereo media types into one viewer with scriptinteraction; monoscopic and stereoscopic viewing that allows greaterdistribution since both types can be viewed within one system; save andconversion of one format into another from the Internet using a localdrive from the original source; automatic free view image sizeadjustment to minimize viewing fatigue; pseudostereo correction based onimage processing of a few lines or the entire image; scaling stereomedia, so that the left and right sources are preserved; andimprovements to Anaglyph display methods. Since the format of theoriginal left and right is known, as designated by the tag within theStereoscopic 3D Media file, the scaling can be done while preservingstereo. Additionally, looking at the storage method used, it isnecessary to take the appropriate actions to scale the media whilepreserving the stereo and to perform scaling done to increase ordecrease the display size of the stereoscopic media.

In existing systems, stereo media can only be viewed at the originalsize. The embodiment of FIG. 1 provides a mechanism to increase ordecrease the size at which the media is displayed while preserving thestereo. As shown in FIG. 1 with analysis 10, the left and right mediaare extracted from the Stereoscopic 3D Media file 12, scaled, recombinedinto the selected display method, then the resulting scaled StereoscopicMedia is displayed. The displayed formats include Monoscopic 14,Line-Interleaved, Cross-eye 18, Parallel 20, Various Anaglyph 22Page-flipping 24 and Others 26.

Another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a system toaccess 3D stereoscopic content through the internet or an intranet orsimilar network environment where the 3D stereoscopic content is storedin a location that is not physically connected to the users workstationand to also provide a means to view content that resides locally on theusers workstation.

The encoding processes used include independent compression of the Leftand Right images. Independent compression of Left and Right providesbetter quality display output. A good example of this is anaglyphmethod. The methods include a video setup format for compression (sbsformat and asf). Image alignment reference points/indicators are used toaid in visual image alignment. Object viewers in stereo use multiple subimages for a one dimensional or two-dimensional object viewer. The useof stereoscopic panning preserves the stereo image alignment. Theco-existence of Java software and a plug-in solution minimizesdownloading.Image interpolation is used to generate in between stereoviews to minimize or maximize the stereo separation.Image interpolationis used for converting a 2D object movie to a 3D stereoscopic objectmovie. Also, the methods provide a background download capability.

Several tools are used in the process. These include automaticstereoscopic alignment and/or re-alignment (rotational and shift andscale) and a stereo compression analysis tool to detect if the stereoinformation is preserved after compression.

Stereoscopic preservation in a window during scrolling and windowmovement is very important. When interleaved stereo images are displayedin a window, the first line of the image must be on an even scan line,or else the image will be perceived in reverse stereo. The system looksat the current vertical location of the window, and then places thefirst line of the stereo image on an even scan line. Whenever a userscrolls within that window, or moves the window itself, the applicationchecks the odd/even status, and adjusts accordingly. In the case ofvertically scrolling within a window or if the window itself is moved,the first line of the stereo image is placed on an even scan line. Whenthe image is scrolled vertically, movement is done in even increments soas to maintain stereo or the right and left images are swapped for eachpixel move to maintain stereo. For the case of horizontal scrolling, thesame methods as vertical scrolling apply. To display interleaved stereoimages in a window or on a full-screen, the left and right fields orviews must be preserved and presented consistently. For example thefirst horizontal line of a stereo image that is presented within awindow may represent the right field or view and the second horizontalline the left field or view. In this example, the first horizontal lineof the display device is even, or represented by a zero, the rightfield/view is to be presented on even scan lines, and the leftfield/view is to be presented on odd scan lines to maintain stereo. Ifthe left field/view were presented on the even scan lines and the rightfield/view on the odd lines, then the result would be pseudostereo. Theselection of associating the right field/view with even scan lines isarbitrary—the reverse can also be true provided consistency ismaintained. The left field/view may be on the odd scan lines, the rightfield/view on the even.

The exemplary embodiment preserves left field/view and right field/viewin a several ways. A first method is to snap the window to an even scanline, which ensures that the window starts on an even horizontal scanline. Another method is to look at the even/oddness of the firsthorizontal line where the stereo media starts. If the right field/viewis on the even scan line, and the left field/view is on the odd, then noaction is required, otherwise the left/right fields/views can beswapped-placing the left content on the even lines, and the rightcontent on odd, for every horizontal line in the media, therebyresulting in a stereo image. The third method is to shift the entireviewing region within the window by one horizontal line to match rightfield/view with an even scan line and left field/view with an odd scanline. This may require dynamic resizing of the window to accommodate thevertical shift.

An algorithm looks at the current vertical location of the window, andthen places the first line of the stereo image on an even scan line.Whenever a user scrolls within that window, or moves the window itself,the application checks the odd/even status, and adjusts accordingly. Inthe case of vertically scrolling within a window or if the window itselfis moved, the first line of the stereo image is placed on an even scanline. When the image is scrolled vertically, movement is done in evenincrements so as to maintain stereo. Stereo can be maintained bycontrolling the window position, forcing it to snap to even scan lines.The solutions include moving the window, moving the image, and swappingfields.

FIG. 2 illustrates the contents of a window displayed in stereo 100. Acomputer 102 and its monitor 104 are used to display a line interlacedstereo image 106 and 108. The stereo image is presented in a magnifiedform 110. This window could be a standalone application, plug-in, orinterpreted program. The magnification shows the details of a lineinterleaved stereo image. The even line of the stereo image is alignedwith an even scan line of the monitor, which results in the display of astereoscopic image. If the window moves, a check is done to determineeven/odd scan-line, then the stereo image is started on an even scanline. If the window is moved, it will snap to start on an even scanline.

FIG. 3 illustrates the contents of window displayed in reverse stereo200. A computer 202 and its monitor 204 are used to display pseudoscopicor reverse stereo image 206 and 208. The pseudoscopic, or reverse stereoimage is presented on the computer screen in a window. This window couldbe a standalone application, plug-in, or interpreted program. Themagnification 210 shows the details of a line interleaved stereo image.The even line of the stereo image is not aligned with an even scan lineof the monitor, which results in the display of a pseudoscopic, orreverse image.

FIG. 4 illustrates the contents of a scrolling window displayed instereo 300. A stereo image is presented on a computer screen in a window302. This particular window scrolls vertically. The first line of theimage is aligned on an even scan line 304 with the monitor, which allowsfor stereoscopic presentation. Whenever vertical scrolling occurs, evenincrements are made so that the image is always presented in stereo.

FIG. 5 illustrates a General Software Flowchart 400. Upon start 402, theapplication checks to see where the image starts, on an even or odd scanline 404. If on an even scan line 406, a stereo image is then displayed408. If the image starts on an odd scan line 410, then the image isshifted to an even scan line or the left and right field/views areswapped and then displayed 412. Vertical scrolling begins 418 and isdone by an even increment 420.

To scale stereo media, the left and right source must be preserved.Since the format of the original left and right is known, as designatedby the tag within the Stereoscopic 3D Media file, scaling can be donewhile preserving stereo. An embodiment ooks at the storage method used,then takes the appropriate actions to scale the media while preservingthe stereo. Scaling may done to increase or decrease the display size ofthe stereoscopic media.

FIG. 6 illustrates an analysis of the left and right media 500 that areextracted from the Stereoscopic 3D Media file 502, individuallyscaled504, 506, recombined into the selected display 508, and then theresulting scaled Stereoscopic Media is displayed 510.

To scale stereo media, the left and right source must be preserved.Since the format of the original left and right is known, as designatedby the tag within the Stereoscopic 3D Media file, the scaling can bedone while preserving stereo. The system will look at the storage methodused, and then take the appropriate actions to scale the media whilepreserving the stereo. Scaling may done to increase or decrease thedisplay size of the stereoscopic media.

In existing systems, stereo media can only be viewed at the originalsize. An embodiment provides a mechanism to increase or decrease thesize at which the media is displayed while preserving the stereo.

FIG. 7 illustrates that without any analysis 600, if the Stereoscopic 3DMedia File is scaled without regard for the format used for the left andright, the scaled result will not be in stereo. Without any analysis,the Stereoscopic 3D Media Files 602 and 604 are scaled without regardfor the format used for the left and right, the scaled result will notbe in stereo 606.

Monoscopic and Stereoscopic Viewing allows greater distribution sinceboth types can be viewed within one system. Prior ElectronicStereoscopic viewing systems only display stereoscopic media. Theembodiments of the invention accommodate monoscopic and stereoscopicviewing. The embodiments of the invention allow users to accessstereoscopic media without a 3D stereoscopic enabled physical viewingdevice. This invention can have greater distribution and marketpenetration since it is not dependent upon a physical viewing device.This viewing system can be toggled to display monoscopic, as well asvarious stereoscopic modes (color anaglyph, gray anaglyph, lineinterleaved, page-flipping, cross-eye, parallel viewing, etc.). Inmonoscopic mode, the image appears in 2D like other 2D web based imageswhich allows all web users to view the images in 2D even if they do nothave a stereoscopic viewing device.

This is accomplished by showing either the left or right mono image. Theuser can select whether to view the left or right monoscopic view. Userswithout a physical stereo viewing device can see the media in monoscopicform by selecting to use either the right or left monoscopic views.

An embodiment of the invention contains automatic adjustment ofBrightness/Contrast/Image properties adjustment based on viewingmechanism. No prior Electronic viewing system adjusts mediabrightness/contrast based upon the display method. This embodimentadjusts the final display of the stereo media to accommodate LCshutter-glasses, and LC shutter-glasses with line-blanker type products.When stereo media is viewed through an LC shutter-glass viewing systemit appears darker due to the shuttering system. Additionally when stereomedia is viewed through an LC Shutter-glass coupled with a line blanker,the media appears even darker. This embodiment will adjust thebrightness, contrast and other media properties to compensate for thecolor distortion/darkness incurred by the viewing mechanism. FIG. 8illustrates the automatic adjustment of Brightness/Contrast/Imageproperties adjustment based on viewing mechanism 700. The StereoscopicMedia file 702 is queried and is displayed using shutter glasses 704.The Brightness adjustment system 706 adjusts the brightness of the mediafile to accommodate the physical viewing mechanism 708. This sameembodiment can compensate for uneven image luminance between the leftand right eyes when using anaglyphic colored viewing glasses.

Algorithms are used to reduce crosstalk between the left and rightviews. Other stereoscopic viewing systems do not incorporate a system toreduce crosstalk. Crosstalk often appears in stereo media and can bereferred to as ghosting. Bright in one eye, dark in the other, occupyingthe same point in the scene can create crosstalk. Areas of high contrastin stereo media are subject to crosstalk. This ghosting occurs becauseeach eye is seeing some of the media intended only for the other eye,and in this case there may be very bright content in one eye, and darkercontent in the other eye.

For example, the right eye could see the media intended for the righteye, but also some of the media intended for the left eye. Seeing bothat once through one eye shows up as a form of ghosting. This inventionlocates points where crosstalk may occur, and adjusts the displayedstereo image to reduce or eliminate crosstalk. The system can query thehardware or the user to determine the optimum crosstalk reduction amountfor a particular viewing system.

Script buttons (vrr scripts) are used to change global stereo formats.An embodiment of the invention provides a novel method to switch thecurrent display method for all stereo media currently displayedon-screen. For example, ten stereoscopic media files can be displayed onone web page. The display mode for each of those files can be changedwith one command. Once a stereo display method is selected, then each ofthe stereo windows is notified to switch to the newly selected format.Typically, the user would be required to change the stereo displaymethod for each stereoscopic image or media file.

Using a script system, the viewing system is instructed to changedisplay modes on the fly. The user can issue a command using a script tospecify any viewing mode. All stereoscopic media files that aredisplayed on that web page are then dynamically switched to the newviewing method. FIG. 9 illustrates a script command to set the displaymode to Color Anaglyph 900. The Web Page as received has media files asillustrated by Stereo Image Grey Anaglyph 904; Stereo Image ColorAnaglyph 906; Stereo Image Cross-eye 908 and Stereo Image Parallel 910;Stereo Image Interleaved 912; and Stereo Image Interleaved 914. With theButton: Set to Display mode to Color Anaglyph 916, the Script Commandssets the Display Mode Color Anaglyph 918. The system converts all themedia files to Color Anaglyph as illustrated by files 920 through 930.This embodiment is critical in providing an easy to use 3D stereoscopicviewing system.

There is an embodiment that saves and converts one format into anotherfrom the Internet using a local drive from original source. The viewingsystem takes a Stereoscopic Media File, displays it on the user sideaccording to the user's display preferences, and saves a local copy inwhatever display format the user selects. The system can convert theStereoscopic Media into the display method selected by the user, andsave the result on the user's local drive. Alternately, the originalform of the Stereoscopic 3D Media file may be saved on the user's localdrive. This embodiment makes it possible to support special 3D formatsthat are not easy to generate in real time.

A color calibration/adjustment for physical 3D viewing mechanisms,compensates for variations in the display devices. An embodimentincludes the functionality to adjust stereo media properties, therebypreserving the original color, hues, saturation, etc. when viewedthrough a physical viewing mechanism. For example, when looking throughliquid crystal shutter-glass systems, the LC may introduce additionalyellow coloring to the subject matter. Based on the user's view settingsthat tell the originator what kind of viewing device the user may beusing. Another embodiment of the invention corrects for distortionsintroduced by the viewing mechanism. Another example could be foranaglyph viewing. For this example, the viewing system goes through acolor calibration to attempt to more closely match the coloring of theanaglyph lenses with the coloring of the monitor or display device.

A stereo media file format may contain certain sub media such as VRR andblocks. An embodiment supports a stereoscopic media file that containssub-media. Specifically, a file structure is created to store andpreserve various types of stereo media in various formats. Additionally,this file format can also store monoscopic media, as well as audio orother data. This one file format can store multiple or singlestereo/non-stereo media elements. FIG. 10 illustrates a VRR file 1000that may contain a script 1002, a Stereo Still Image 1004, aStereoscopic Animation/movie 1006, Stereoscopic Object Model 1008, aThumbnail 1010, and Audio 1012. This embodiment also allows multipleresolution images to be stored in one media file or to be referenced(linked to) from one media file.

The system may also include an automatic free view image size adjustmentto minimize viewing fatigue. For example, when parallel-viewing (alsoknown as relaxed viewing, or free-viewing) stereo images, the separationof the left and right should not greatly exceed the average interoculardistance of an adult.

FIG. 11 illustrates a parallel viewing mode. For parallel viewing, it isimportant that the right 1104 and left 1102 images be scaled and spacedso as to not exceed the viewer's eye spacing. If the viewer has aprismatic viewing aid, the image separation can be increased. The userscan be queried to determine what viewing system is installed. Since mostcomputer operating systems now store information on the width 1108 ofthe monitor image on the display monitor, it is possible toautomatically adjust the spacing and size of the right and left imagesto avoid eyestrain.

FIG. 12 illustratess a cross-eye viewing mode. For cross-eye viewing, itis possible to use larger images than with the parallel viewing method.There is still a limit where many users will begin to experienceeyestrain. The user can be queried to determine the limits of cross-eyeviewing.

Another embodiment allows for automatic detection of 3D displayhardware. Many 3D stereoscopic hardware vendors install software thatcan be detected so that an appropriate display method can beautomatically selected. If no stereoscopic hardware is detected, thenthe system must prompt the user to configure the display mode.

Another embodiment automatically (or manually if desired) adjusts withoverall left and right image shift to compensate for imagemagnification. When a 3D stereoscopic image is enlarged and displayed ona viewing system that has a larger image size then the target system,there is a potential of creating large separations between objects inthe 3D stereoscopic image that can lead to eyestrain for the viewer. Thepresent invention stores important parameters about the 3D stereoscopicimage like width, height, target screen size, etc. When the 3Dstereoscopic image is to be displayed on a display that is larger orsmaller than the target screen size, then the 3D stereoscopic image isadjusted accordingly to minimize eye fatigue for the user.

One embodiment utilizes image processing to detect pseudo-stereo 3Dstereoscopic content. It is common for content authors to sometimesreverse the right and left eyes when creating 3D stereoscopic content.When this happens, the display system will present the wrong image tothe viewer's eyes. This embodiment attempts to correct this problem bycomparing portions of the right and left image content to determine if apseudo condition exists and then swaps the right and left images tocorrect for the problem.

Another embodiment encodes the full-color left and right images inseparate channels and compresses the left and right channelsindependently. This technique provides less compression artifacts andreduces crosstalk when compared to anaglyphic storage techniques. Incomparison, analgyph storage techniques, which are widely used on theInternet, combine the right and left images in separate color channelsof a single image and then compressed the resulting image. Thistechnique results in the introduction of crosstalk because mostcompression techniques, like JPEG that is commonly used, reduce thecolor space of an image drastically, which in turn compromises thequality of the Anaglyphic storage technique.

< Another embodiment allows video to be stored in a side-by-side formatin a single video-streaming file. This encoding method allows the rightand left channels to be independently compressed which provides the bestquality and ensures that the correct right and left image pair arematched up and that the images will not get out of synchronizationduring a long streaming session. In contrast, if two separate streamingchannels were used, extra processing power would be required to managetwo channels and ensure that they remained synchronized. FIG. 14illustrates the side-by-side format. The right image 1400 is placed tothe left of the left image 1402 to form the composite image 1404. Thecomposite image is twice as wide as either the left or right sourceimages. For improved compression quality when using some compressionsystems, a vertical colored separator band 1406 can be added between theright and left image. Some compression systems work better with thisseparator band.

Another embodiment of the display system is to create alignment dots orreference images to help the viewer view cross-eyed or parallel viewimage formats. FIG. 15 illustrates one method of displaying helperalignment images for a cross-eye viewing mode. In this example, thehelper images are placed below the image 1504 and above the image 1506and are aligned with the center of the right and left images. The helperimages could also be shifted towards the edges of the right and leftimages. The images are of high contrast and attract the viewer to fusethe images first before the primary 3D stereoscopic image is viewed. Thesimple high contrast nature of the alignment images allows them to bemore easily viewed. This system makes it possible for viewers with poorstereo viewing capabilities to see more stereoscopic content with thecross-eyed, parallel, and other viewing modes.

One embodiment stores a series of 3D stereoscopic images of an objectinto one file. FIG. 16 illustrates one way to store a series of N imagesinto a single resource file. The first image 1600 is at the top of thefile and the rest of the images follow sequentially until the last file1602. The collection of these images forms an object movie data file1604. FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the images and the objectin question 1700. As the figure illustrates, the point of view of thecamera is swung around the object to generate all of the intermediateimages. When these images are displayed in a sequential fashion, itappears that the object is rotating on the screen in 3D depth. When theimages are displayed in reverse order, the object appears to turn in theopposite direction. If the playback of the images is linked to theright/left movement of a mouse point on the screen, it will appear thatthe user is actually rotating the object on the screen. This exampleillustrates a one dimensional object movie. It is possible to storeadditional sets of rotational images sets to simulate other views of theobject (example: doors open or closed on a car model).

Another embodiment allows a larger 3D stereoscopic image or panorama tobe scrolled within a smaller viewing window as shown in FIG. 18. Theviewing window 1802 is a fixed size and does not move with respect tothe viewing screen. The 3D stereoscopic image 1800 is larger than theviewing window and therefore must be scrolled horizontally andvertically within the viewing window in order for the viewer to see theentire image. This is always the case with panoramic images that containa very wide or tall view of a scene. When the image is panned within theviewing window, the invention ensures that the left and right views arepresented to the correct eyes. For example, in the row interleavedviewing method, if the larger 3D stereoscopic image is moved verticallyby a single pixel, the image will flip into pseudostereo mode. Thepresent invention will either shift the image an additional line to makeit viewable in non-pseudostereo or it will flip the left and rightimages to correct the problem. This embodiment is an extension of thepreviously described scrolling embodiment since it applies the scrollingembodiments to an image that is scrolled within a viewing window asopposed to a viewing window which is scrolled on the display screen (aspreviously detailed).

Another embodiment allows the previously discussed display embodimentsto be extended to a wider viewing audience on the Internet and for localviewing on a workstation by implementing the invention on multipleparallel systems. For example, for viewing 3D stereoscopic content onthe Internet through a browser, it is desirable to have uniform supportfor all browser systems. The present invention provides uniform supportby implementing several parallel solutions. In particular, the presentinvention can be implemented as a Netscape plug-in to support theNetscape browser (see www.netscape.com) or the present invention can beimplemented as an Active-X control to support the Microsoft InternetExplorer Browser (see www.Microsoft.com) or the present invention can beimplemented as a Java Applet (see www.sun.com) to support some otherforms of browsers. The embodiment described here implements the presentinvention on all of these systems in parallel and utilizes browserclient side scripting and/or server side scripting (well known bysomeone skilled in web based systems) to select the correct system for aparticular user. When a user points their browser to a particularwebsite page which contains 3D stereoscopic content, the system of thepresent invention will determine which parallel system to use.

Another embodiment allows new right and left image views to be generatedto simulate a new stereoscopic camera separation. Some viewers may findit hard to view some images if the original cameras were separated by alarge amount. The current embodiment utilizes image interpolation andmorphing techniques to synthesize a new right and left image that arecloser together. The same technique can be used to simulate a widerstereoscopic camera separation to increase the depth effect. The amountof adjustment can be selected by the user to suit their viewingcondition and capabilities. FIG. 19 illustrates an original right 1902and left 1904 camera views of an object 1900. The new synthesized right1906 and left 1908 views will be easier to view for some users.

Another embodiment of the invention provides an automatic alignmentand/or re-alignment of the left and right images. Many 3D stereoscopicimages are created incorrectly and may have vertical, horizontal, orrotational misalignment that will cause eyestrain for the viewer. Usingimage correlation techniques, horizontal and vertical misalignment ofthe right and left views is corrected. Further correlation is applied tocorrect for rotational alignment issues.

Another embodiment provides a tool that compares the left and rightimages to determine if stereoscopic information is lost duringcompression. Compression is used to reduce the size of a stereoscopicimage so that it can be easily transmitted over a low bandwidthconnection. If too much compression is applied, the image will loose itsstereoscopic impact. This embodiment provides a measure of the qualityof the stereoscopic image that can be used to readjust the compressionsystem.

Another embodiment allows both local content, residing on the usersworkstation, and remote content, residing on a server or web site to beviewed using the display methods. This embodiment is needed to allow forremote streaming playback as well as to allow for local playback offiles that are delivered via cd-rom or other storage means or forcontent that is downloaded from a remote location to a local storagelocation before being displayed.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides the ability todownload larger sized 3D stereoscopic content files as a background taskor during idle use times of the workstation as shown in FIG. 13. Theselarge sized files 1300 cannot be easily streamed over the Internet inreal-time or near real-time. This background downloading capabilityallows the present invention to be more widely used on low-bandwidthsystems. This embodiment utilizes a database of known locations whereinformation about 3D content is stored 1302. A subscription system orsearch engine can be used to access the 3D content or specific contentcan be added to the download database. The system of the presentinvention keeps track of what content has been downloaded in a seconddatabase 1304 and records details about the download that can be used torecover a faulty download. The 3D stereoscopic content is moved from aremote location 1310 to a higher bandwidth local location 1308 where thecontent can be played back in real-time or near real-time. The downloaddatabase and the 3D stereoscopic content location database are also usedto help append 3D stereoscopic content into a larger local file. Thismethod allows a very large or long content file to be broken into muchsmaller files that are downloaded one after the other. As each file isdownloaded, it is appended to the current local copy of the download. Ifnew remote content files are made available on a periodic basis, thissystem will allow them to be appended together as they become available.

Another embodiment allows conventional 2D object movies to be convertedinto 3D stereoscopic object movies. A conventional object movie utilizesa sequence of still images of an object captured a various view anglesas illustrated in FIG. 17. A 2D object movie can be converted to 3Dstereoscopic format by pairing up the original images. For example, inFIG. 17, View 1 and View 2 can be combined to form a left right pair(respectively). The next 3D stereoscopic view is formed by combiningview 2 with view 3 (left and right respectively). Each image in theoriginal object movie is used twice. If the original 2D object moviecontains enough images (60 images produces good results) then theconverted 3D object movie will be usable. If there are not enoughimages, less than 40, then better results are achieved if the previouslymentioned embodiment of generating intermediate views using imageinterpolation can be applied to the object movie conversion. Using imageinterpolation allows intermediate stereoscopic views to be generated,which have much less camera separation and are easier to view.

The present invention can also be embodied in the form of computerprogram code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loadedinto and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over sometransmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, throughfiber optics, via electromagnetic radiation or via the Internet,wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by acomputer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing theinvention. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, thecomputer program code segments configure the microprocessor to createspecific logic circuits.

The modifications to the various aspects of the present inventiondescribed above are merely exemplary. It is understood that othermodifications to the illustrative embodiments will readily occur topersons with ordinary skill in the art. All such modifications andvariations are deemed to be within the scope and spirit of the presentinvention as defined by the accompanying Claims.

1. A method for delivering stereoscopic media in electronic formcomprising: providing a single format with independent right and leftchannels to represent the stereoscopic media; displaying saidstereoscopic media inside a movable windowed area while eliminatingpseudo stereo conditions during movement; optimizing adjustments ofparallax shift adjustment, brightness control, color adjustment, andcross-talk reduction of said stereoscopic media based on viewinghardware, monitor size, and media content for optimal viewing qualityand seamlessly supporting for monoscopic (2D) viewing modes allowingdelivery of said stereoscopic media in a normal 2D viewing mode.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said media includes images, videos,animations, and object models.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereindelivering comprises locations including the Internet and electronicmedia.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein electronic media comprisesoptical media and magnetic media.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein asingle media file format that is converted to various display formats ona user side.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising a stereoscopicmedia in a window such as a browser or application.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising stereoscopic preservation in a window duringscrolling and window movement.
 8. The method of claim 1 comprisingsupporting of auto-detection 3D stereo hardware systems.
 9. The methodof claim 1 comprising script buttons (VRR scripts) for changing globalstereo formats.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprisingstereoscopic media file formats that contain sub media such as VRR andblocks.
 11. The method of claim 1 comprising parallax shift adjustmentsbased on a physical size of display window.
 12. The method of claim 1further comprising automatic brightness adjustments.
 13. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising color calibration/adjustments for physical 3Dviewing mechanisms, including variations in display devices.
 14. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising crosstalk reduction techniques on auser side.
 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising smart stereoscaling.
 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising integration ofstereo media types into one viewer with script interaction.
 17. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising monoscopic and stereoscopic viewingthat allows greater distribution since both types can be viewed withinone system.
 18. The method of claim 1 comprising saving and convertingone format into another from the Internet using a local drive from anoriginal source.
 19. The method of claim 1 further comprising automaticfree view image size adjustment to minimize viewing fatigue.
 20. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising pseudostereo correction based onimage processing of a few lines or the entire image.
 21. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising scaling said stereoscopic media, so that leftand right sources are preserved.
 22. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising improvements to Anaglyph display methods.
 23. A method fordelivering stereoscopic content in electronic form through the internetor an intranet or similar network environment comprising: storing saidstereoscopic content in a location that is not physically connected to ausers workstation; and providing a means to view content that resideslocally on the users workstation.
 24. The method of claim 23 wherein theencoding processes used includes independent compression of Left andRight images.
 25. The method of claim 23 wherein Independent compressionof Left and Right provides better quality display output.
 26. The methodof claim 25 wherein said compression uses an anaglyph method.
 27. Themethod of claim 26 further includes: a video setup format forcompression (sbs format and asf).
 28. The method of claim 26 includesusing image alignment reference points/indicators to aid in visual imagealignment.
 29. The method of claim 28 including using multiple subimages by object viewers in stereo for a one-dimensional or twodimensional object viewer.
 30. The method of claim 29 including usingstereoscopic panning that preserve the stereo image alignment.
 31. Themethod of claim 30 uses a co-existence of Java software and a plug-insolution to minimize downloading.
 32. The method of claim 31 using imageinterpolation to generate in between stereo views to minimize ormaximize the stereo separation
 33. The method of claim 32 using imageinterpolation for converting a 2D object movie to a 3D stereoscopicobject display and provide a background download capability.